Prevention of ice formation on the wings or other parts of aircraft



July 22,1941. 1 b. C. BULLOCH 2,249,940."

PREYENTIGK OF ICE FORIATION OR THE IIHGS OR 0THER.PABTS OE AIRCRAFT Filed larch 30, 1938 2 sheets-Shem; I

July 22, 1941. n. c. BULLOCH PREVENTION OF ICE FORMATION ON THE WINGS OR- OTHER PARTS OF AIRCRAFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed larch so, 1938 Patented July 22, 1941 PREVENTION OF ICE FORMATION ON THE WINGS OR OTHER PARTS OF AIRCRAFT David Carnie Bulloch, London, England Application March so, 1938, Serial No. 198,871

In Great Britain April 14, 1937 4 Claims.

. This invention is concerned with the prevention of ice formation on the wings and other parts of aircraft and has for an object an improved method of and means for preventing such ice formation.

In accordance with the improved method there is secured along the leading edges of the wings of the aircraft or other parts where ice formation is liable to occur, a covering of on or more layers of a composite closely woven cloth formed partly of wire and partly of yarn and a suitable antifreezing fluid is supplied to this cloth along the inner or outer side thereof in such manner that fluid may seep or pass through the interstices of the composite cloth and permeate the whole and prevent the formation of ice on such parts. The layer or layers of cloth may be held intermediate its ends by a clamp or clamps disposed in a recess within the leading edges of the wings or other parts of the aircraft and the anti-freezing fluid is supplied to a loope'd'portion held in theclamp, the composite cloth being turned back and secured along the leading edge at each side of the recess. The cloth may be in separate sections disposed at spaced locations along the wing or the like and each held in its own clamp and'each supplied with anti-freezing fluid by means of separate pipes say from a common source, controlled The fabric can be reinforced along its edges by incorporating additional wire in the warp and/or weft or elsewhere.

To meet varying conditions the warp and/or weft may be increased or decreased as to the number per inch or as to weight and size. The

'wire may be that known under the registered trade-mark Monel, bronze or any other suitable metal or alloy, while the yarn may be cotton, linen, rayon or any other suitable material.

The yarn may be in loose or composite bunches. A preferred example of a composite fabric in accordance with the present invention has- 41 I. S. W. G. Monel" wire in the warp, 150 wires to the inch in separate heddles, 3 per dent,

mesh per inch, 2 up and one down, while the weft is of a linen, 34 mesh per inch.

The composition of the fabric given above by way of example may be varied by incorporating wire in substitution for the linen at interval or by inserting one or two or more wires in each weft. Description will now be given with the aid of the accompanying drawings of the application of the invention and of some examples of th structure of the composite fabric.

In the drawings, which are mainly diagrammatic, the same reference characters are used to indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Fig. 1 is a plan of part of an aircraft showing the position of application of thecomposite fabric to the leading edges of a wing and tail plane. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the leading edge of a wing of an aircraft showing diagrammatically a method of supplying anti-freezing fluid to fabric secured to the said leading edge. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of clamping means for securing the fabric. Fig.4 is a sectional view of another form of clamping means. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamp in Fig. 4 shown separately. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a plug hereinafter referred to. Figs. 7 to 16 illustrate some structural forms of composite fabric according to this invention and later to be more particularly described. Fig. 17 is .a sectional fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, of fabric similar to that of Figs. '1 and 8 when applied to the surface of an airplane wing.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 20 indicates a win and 2| a tail plane of an aircraft only part of which is shown. Formed in the leading edges of said wing or tail plane ar recesses adapted to be covered by one or more layers of a composite fabric only one of which is shown at 23 secured to the outer surface of the wing. Each of the recesses 22 communicates by a duct 24. with a header 25'. A pipe 26 connects said header with a pump 21 adapted to be operated by the pilot.

Anti-freezing fluid is forced by the pump 21 to the header 25 and via the ducts 24 to the recesses where it permeates the fabric 23 and prevents theformation of ice on such parts.

In the embodiments shown in Figs. 3 to 6 the .23 is looped. .The plates 28, 29 are respectively formed with co-operating wedge surfaces 28', 29' such that as they are clamped together. more or less tightly they clarr p moreor less tightly the loop around the rod 30 and thus regulat the de- 4 and 5 instead of co-operating plates 9. spring metal clamp 31 is provided and is adapted to .be

clamped around th fabric looped around a solid rod in like manner to the previously described clamp. Anti-freezingfluid is fed to the loop of one of which is shown connected to a bore 33 in the clamp 3 I.

Alternatively the solid rod of Fig. 3 may be replaced by a perforated pipe 34 around which the fabric is looped, the anti-freezing fluid being'fed to the fabric through the perforations. Leakage of fluid at the ends and back of the clamp may be v prevented by means of strips of rubber or other packing clamped between the plates, Fig. 6 showing an example of plug for closing the ends of the clamp. The anti-freezing fluid may however be introduced through the end plugs.

Referring now to Figs. [to l6 which show examples of the fabric, and are drawn diagrammatically to an exaggerated scale, Fig. 7 shows a portion of fabric woven with a plain weave in which the warps 35 are of wire .and the weft36 of yarn, although if desired the arrangement may be vice-versa. Fig. 8 is a compound view-showing sections through A, B, C respectively of Fig. '7; Fig. 9 shows a portion of fabric woven with a twill weave, in which the warps 31 are of wire and the weft 38 of yarn although they may be vice-versa. The twill is shownas produced con- -tinuously from left to right (i; e. dextrally) although it may of course be produced continuously right to left (i. e. sinistrally) or split from place to place. Fig, 10 is a composite view showing sections through A, B, C, D, respectively of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a view of a portion of fabric witha plain weave ha W e warps 39 and yarn weft 4o.

. The warps 39 are laid three in a dent as shown.

Fig. 12 is a composite view showing sections the fabric by "way of one or more pipes 32 only any of the forms described are advantageous in through A, B, of Fig. 11. Instead of the. weft 40 being whollyyam it may include or incorporate one or more reinforcing wires. Fig. 13 is a similar view to Fig. 12 but showing the weft 40' having two reinforcingwires 4| in each dent but one. Fig. 14 is a view of a porti0n 0f fabric with a plain weave in which some of the warps are of wire as at 42 while others are of yarn as at 43. Said warps 43 may ormay not be reinforced with one or more wires as indicated at 44. In Fig. 16

also may or may not include or incorporate within the'yam one or more reinforcing wires as shown at 46 inFig. 15 As illustrated in Fig. 17'. when a fabric. of the type illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 comprising warps 35 of wire and watts of yarn is applied over the surface of an airplane wing or similar members, there are a great number of small pockets formed between the surface of the .wing and parts of the fabric. The wires extend beyond the yarn, contact the wing and support the yarns at a spaced distance from the wing surface.

Fabrics woven of wire and yarn according to or incorporated with yarn prevents stretch of the fabric, increases its strength and affords controllability of the openness of the weave while the yarn affords the necessary permeability.

The various forms of fabric given above are solely by way of example and various other forms of weave such asclover leaf twill, Hollander type, basket weave and the like maybe utilized.

1; claim: I

1. For use with an aircraft for preventing the formation of ice upon a leading edge thereof having a recess therein, means comprising a covering of woven wire and yarn extending outwardlyfrom said recess, clamping means located in said recess for seeming said covering in position and means communicating with said recess for supplying anti-freezing fluid under pressure to said recess back of said covering.

2. For use with an aircraft for preventing the formation of ice upon a leading edge thereof having a recess therein, means comprising a covering for saidrecess said covering consisting of closely woven fabric formed partly of wire and partly of yarn, clamping means located within the structure of saidvaircraft for clamping said covering in position, said clamping means presenting passages for anti-freezing fluidto those parts of the covering clamped by said clamping means in such manner that the anti-freezing fluid may permeate the whole of the covering.

3. In combination with the structure claimed in claim 2 means for adjusting the clamps to regulate the delivery of the anti-freezing fluid to the covering.

of aircraft a covering for said parts consisting of composite closely woven fabric formed partlyof wire and partly of yarn in which the wire extends beyond the yarn and presents an abutment surface for the fabric forming pockets for the reception of anti-freezing fluid and means for supplying anti-freezing fluid to said covering.

1 v DAVID CARNIE BULLOCK. 

